Juliano Coutinho Sees His Bout at CES MMA 45 as Striker vs. Grappler

Juliano Coutinho spoke with MMAjunkie ahead of his fight with Ashley Gooch in the main event of CES MMA 45. The highlights are below:

On Gooch: “He lands very heavy strikes. The strategy is to avoid those strikes and take him to the ground. My preferred way to win is by Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission. It’s my strong point. Not to say I’m not comfortable on the feet, but jiu-jitsu is my forte. Getting people down and working for submissions is something that was missing from my recent fights. So now my focus is to get a submission, from start to finish. My cardio is great, but I’ll try to catch him in the early rounds.”

On how he sees the bout: “I kind of do see it (as a striker vs. grappler matchup). I do think I’m the better striker. Obviously, he’s the better on the ground. He is a BJJ guy. But you never know how things work out.”

On taking tiume off due to a hamstring tear: “I couldn’t train for three to four months while doing physical therapy. I was surprised to get the call to fight for the belt…I’m feeling great. I’m very confident. I’m chasing after this victory.”